BCCI ka 20-20: A Review

Finally, the Indian Premier League is over. Watching television during prime time had become so boring, courtesy an overdose of “saas-bahu” drama and “unrealistic” reality shows. Thanks to the IPL, the monotony was broken, even though it only lasted for 44 days. To be honest, I was not all that excited when the tournament started. I never expected the concept of different cities fighting it out against each other on the cricket field to work in India, since we are not quite used to it. But, it worked, and how! While Mr. Lalit Modi and the BCCI are busy congratulating each other and celebrating the success of the IPL, let us spare a thought for the ones who are actually responsible for its birth - the Zee group, which started the ICL, against the wishes of the BCCI. IPL was nothing but the BCCI’s way of showing its might to the “rebels”, and I dare say had there been no ICL, there would not have been any IPL either. Not that I am complaining. Watching Sachin and Sanath come out to bat together, Mcgrath teasing Gilly around the off stump, and Ganguly and Ponting plotting the downfall of the opposition together would not have been possible, but for IPL. The quality of cricket witnessed during the IPL was exceptional, and we could not have asked for more as cricket fans. While the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma and Sohail Tanvir enhanced their reputation as emerging stars, cricketers like Shane Warne and Sanath Jayasuriya proved that class and greatness are not affected by age. Most importantly, the IPL has brought the Asnodkars, the Gonis and the Nayars into limelight, who could not have asked for a better platform to showcase their talent. The IPL successfully cashed in on the entertainment value associated with the shortest and the newest version of the game-the T-20. In many ways, a 20-20 game is very similar to a typical Bollywood movie- It promises to be fast paced with lots of action, several twists and turns and close finishes, lasting for 3 hours; the difference being that a T-20 game usually lives upto the expectations, while a ‘fillum’ rarely does so. The IPL witnessed packed stadiums in almost all the matches, besides enjoying very high television viewership. It was not surprising, given that ours is a cricket-crazy nation. Yet, a few points are worth noting. Firstly, the IPL matches were well-attended by family audiences at the stadiums. Secondly, the tickets for the semi-finals and the final in Mumbai were sold out, despite the absence of the local team in the last four. Cricket is a sport, which has been given the status of a religion in this country, but the IPL has perhaps given it a new identity - Cricketainment, starring celebrity owners, dancing cheerleaders and of course, the players. After a “superhit” first season, both the organizers and observers are looking forward to the next one. And that’s where Mr. Modi’s problems begin. The international cricket calendar does not have any room to accommodate another IPL for the next two years, unless the BCCI and ICC come out with some special plan. An option being considered is to have two IPL’s in the year 2011 to compensate for the loss of two years, as Lalit sa’ab has already suggested. It is however, a weird notion to organize two seasons of IPL in the world cup year, especially because India is hosting the mega event. Moreover, two months of IPL in the same year may just kill the hype, hoopla and excitement attached to it. Mr. Modi and the BCCI should be careful that they do not kill the golden goose that is laying them golden eggs. So, there may be some time before we get to see the battle of the cities once again. Hopefully, the non-performers of this season (read Deccan Chargers, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders) would have learnt their lessons and would give the rest of the teams stronger competition in the next season, whenever it is. We’ll be waiting.